Lead matrix.



H. SGHIMANSKY.

LEAD MATRX.

APrLIouInN FILED mmm, 190s.

Patented May 18, 1909.

jmmr/for" W 4 i L UaUMmSMf-Mn .richstresse 238, in the Kingdom of HERMANN SCHIMANBKY, OF RIXDORF, NEAR BERLIN, GERMANY.

LEAD MATRIX.

Speccation of Letters Patent. Application filed March 24,

Patented May 18, 1909.

1908. Serial No. 428,067,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HERMANN SCHIMAN- SKY, a sub'ect of the Kin of Prussia, residing at Rixdorf, near Ber 1n, Kaiser Friedrussia, German Empire, have invented new and useful Improvements in a Lead Matrix, of which the following is a specification.

In the production of a relief printing surface for the purpose of making a alvanoplastic clich there are used plastlcsu stances such as wax, india-rubber or the like. Lead has also latterly been employed forthis purpose. The molding is eiiected by pressing` the plastic substance or the lead vby means of powerful presses into the original picture. This, however, alwa s requires the use of pressure, which, whi e, larger or smaller in l accordance with the character of the original must, if lead is employed, be very considerable so that impressions can thereby be produced only of such originals 4as are hard enou h to aiiord suiiioient resistance to the hard cad, that is to say, the originals must, for instance, be made of'such substances as zinc, copper or brass. Matrices formed of the ordinary type material, as well as wood cuts and clichs of copper deposits (galvanos) are very injuriouslyaiiected by the' great pressure requisite `and are' damaged in their more delicate parts.

Il the clichs used areformed ol' wax the warm plastic mass is apt to become pressed dee ly into the recesses of the composition witli the result that when the matrix is raised, distortions of the face of the com? position cannot be avoided and that long and tedious work is required to cut out the deep fields, that is .to say, the recesses, this beinnecessary beforetliere can be imparted e matrix the necessary conducting capacity for the electric current by dusting vit with graphite.

When molding in a plastic substance or in solid lead it has heretofore only been possi.- ble to use Hat presses, and it has, moreover, been necessary to deter-mine the size andthe ratios of pressure to be employed if the requisite pressure is to be obtained, in a manner appropriate to the original tobe reproduced.

New by means of the present'mvention,

there can be produced a matrix for the re production of relief printing surfaces which obviates the defects which occur when the reproduction is Amade by means o f plastic su stances or of lead.

In the manufacture of such a matrix there are used, for example, as shown in the accompanying drawing, three sheets ol' lead foil of the thickness of tissue paper: the second sheet (b) being attached to the beck of the first (a) by means of an acidresisting, sticky, soft substance (d), and the third sheet (a) attached to the back ol the second sheet, by sticky substance (e) in the same manner. The sticky, soft, plastic substance (d or e) employed for this fpurpose preferably consists of a mixture o (il) parts of bees-Wax, 20 parts of asphaltum dissolved in turpentine and 20 parts of Venice turpentine. A load -foil matrix formed in thc manner just -dcscribed, consists therefore oi five layers, that is to say, three sheets (n, l, 1:) ci lend foil and two layers (d and e) oi' soft uax placed bc tween the layers of lend foil.

Such a matrix will only penetrato into tho original to such an extent as is required l'or the purpose to be achieved and on account ol' its plasticity will not injum this one in any manner whatever. Such lnatiices may be stamped also in a cylinder press and can be used, as desired, for the reproduction ol' larger or. smaller forms; the impression pro-- duced being equally sharp in both cases.

For the purpose oi' producing the impression the matrix is placed with its printing surface, which must be quite lree from oxidation or impurities o1' any kind upon the cleaned original, and `there is then placed .thereon a support of soit apcr, or oi" a soft felt, which however must e lirln in its texturehor of any other suitable' soft material. Furnished with these suppoitstheoriginai lisis subjected to pressure in apress or in any other suitable manner.

When the process above described is i11- tended to be used for the printing of lar er objects it is advisable to strengthen the imished matrix so as to revent its beit bent when laced in the eectrolyte bath or the like. orthis purpose, after the three sheets o lead foil 'have been pressed in the manner Sel already described into the matrix, while it is still on the original, there is attached thereto by means of the adhesive substance already referred to, a flat strengthenin plate f, preferably ol lead of about one mil imeter nation of the strengthening plate with the rojections on the rear of the matrix. Il,

owever, it is not desirable to employ a stren thening plate, the insulating paper alre mentioned is laid on the three presse sheets of lead foil, or any suitable insulating coating may be used. From a matrix, such as described, the alvano lastic clich can then be obtained in t e usua manner. It has however been found by experience that, especially when the employment ,of a calendar 'ess is mpracticable, at those parts where only' a small amount of pressure, Vthe action of the plastic mass lyin between the separate thin layers of leadI oil will result in the re reduction of all the coarse details of the original, but that the more delicate lines of the. original, such, for instance, as line 'grained autotypes, will not come out with the necessary sharpness as the la er of lead, after all, possesses a certain thic ess and hardness 'and does not penetrate easily into all the more delicate ortions of the original. Such matrices, m e o sheets of lead foil have moreover the tendency to expand under the inllpenceof the somewhat considerable ressure employed and thus'to become bue ed. Nowtliis invention obviates also this comparatively triflin defect b rendering the printing surface o the lead oil matrix more sensitive to ressure. l

After the ead foil matrix has been manufactured in the well known manner by cementing several sheets of lead foil together by means of the vlastic substance and the insulating layer as been attached-to theback thereof, it isl laced back downward upon a plate vwhich is heated to an extent corresponding with the melting point of the waxemployed, and then the lprinting surface,

that'is to say, the side wlii is laced on the printing form for the urpose o reproducing the image of the original is coated with a very thin la er of a plastic substance g, sufficiently thic however, to enable impressions to be taken through it of the linest portions of the shades of autot es. .The best substance for-.this purpose is beeswaxto which e pressure apparatus exertsl strengt 5 er cent. Venice turpentine have been ad ed. To prevent this coating from adhering to the original when printing, the printing surface of the coated matrix is powdered with graphite or some other suitable powder.

The operation of printing by means of a matrix in accordance with this invention. is as follows1--As the thin coating of a soft plastic substance is situated between the original to be reproduced and the layer of lead foil, both harder than itself, it will penetrate into the most delicate parts of the original, u on the exertion of a slight pressure. The p astio mass will thereby be pressed aside into the recesses at the laces which represent in the block the picture to be' printed in such manner that there remains on the printing ortions only the very smallest trace of the liastic mass, ,and that the lead is exposed -at t e portions constituting the image in such manner as-not to affect injuriously the current-conducting capacity thereof. In` order to render current conducting the portions not affected by the pressure itis then sullicient sli htly to brush them over.

Matrices manu actured in accordance with this inventioncombine the advantages of the easily `facsimiles formin wax matrix with those of the readily con ucting lead matrix and may in this form be considered ascenstituting the most perfect means for effecting the reproduction of a print.

This invention in consequence of the small pressure required presents the further advantage that the matrices do not in the least chan e their size and that printing blocks whic are mounted on soft woodneed no longer be placed on a vmetal foundation for the purpose of printing therefrom, but that they can be printed at once in the condition in which they stand in the composition.

Ha'vin now particularly described and ascertaine the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A lead matrix consistin of layers of thin sheet lead foil and soft I ayers of wax, alternately arra ed and cemented together, and a thin` coating of a soft plastic mass spread `over the printing surface of the lead matrix.

`2. A lead matrix consisting of layers of leadv foil and soft layers of wax, alternately arran ed and cemented together; a thin coat- 4mg o a soft plastic mass spread over the printing surface of the lead matrix and a flat ening plate attached to the back thereof.

3. A lead matrix consisting of layers of lead foil and soft layers of wax, alternately arranged and cemented together; a thincoating o a soft plastic mass spread over the rinting surface of thelead matrix and an insulating coating on the back thereof.

4. A leed matrix composed of layers of In testimony whereof I have signed my lead foil and soft layers of Wax, alternately name to this specification in the presence of erraned and cemented together; a thin eoetl two subscribing witnesses.

ing,r o a soft plastic mass spread over the i HERMANN SCHIMANSKY. 5 prlnting surface of the lead matrix and ati Witnesses:

tached to the back thereof a flat strengthenl HENRY HASPER, ing plate and an insulating coating. VvoLDEMAR HAUPT. 

